


As the Flowers Bloom in Spring

by UntramenTaro



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Backstory, F/M, Not very related to the main plot of the game but hey, Prequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-11-13 19:24:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11191767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UntramenTaro/pseuds/UntramenTaro
Summary: "Over there are the Duet Mountains. Every year, the people from these two villages come together for the festival. People joke that those two towns are married to each other. Then, next to the mountain range is a huge field carpeted in purple flowers. In the spring, that whole valley is filled with fragrance."





	As the Flowers Bloom in Spring

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lululeigh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lululeigh/gifts).
  * Inspired by [As the Sun Sets in June](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11187750) by [Lululeigh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lululeigh/pseuds/Lululeigh). 



> This is a sort of prequel to [Lululeigh's Gunter fic](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11187750), and is based on a line in Azura and Hayato's supports where she talks about the Duet Mountains. I understand that this fic has very little to do with the events in Fire Emblem Fates itself, it serves as a backdrop for some of the events in Leigh's fic so please give that a read once you're done with this one!

As their platoon was traveling through the mountains, one of the soldiers spoke out.  
“Uh, Captain Gunter?”  
“What is it?”  
“I hope it isn’t too much of a bother, but do you mind if we take a detour?”  
“A detour? For what purpose?”  
“Well,” the soldier fidgeted. “My hometown is nearby. I’d like to stop by, if we could.”  
Gunter’s expression softened. “I suppose it wouldn’t take too long. But we have to hustle if we wish to keep schedule though.”  
“O-of course!”  
“Well everyone? Do we agree to a small detour?”  
The notion was well received with whoops and cheers, and the soldier sighed relieved. Gunter placed a hand on the soldier’s back. “Come on, Nicolas. Let’s go to your hometown.”

“Welcome to the Duet Mountains everyone!”  
They were greeted with the sight of a valley, blooming with a carpet of purple flowers and a gathering of people at the base of it. There were many colorful banners and a large bonfire being set up in the center of the gathering.  
“What is this?”  
“This? This is the yearly festival. My hometown and the town across the way get together every year to celebrate the spring. Today is the last day of the festival, and I’m glad we can catch the end of it.”  
The platoon made their way down the valley, and they can see many people pointing their way and talking excitedly.  
“Heyo! I’m home!”  
“It’s Nicolas! Nicolas is home!” The villagers were elated to see the appearance of one of their own after so long.  
Gunter and the rest of the garrison looked on fondly at the reunion as they all dismounted their steeds, and Gunter went forward to introduce himself.  
“Hello, I am the leader of our platoon. Nicolas here wished to go home for a short time, and I hope that we won’t impose for too long.”  
“No please! Join us in the festivities!”

Soon the night had set and the bonfire was lit. There was singing and dancing and many of the other soldiers joined in flirting with the townswomen. Gunter sat off at the side drinking his fill of the local brew, looking on happily at the joyous occasion. It was small places like this, he thought, that made protecting the peace so important.  
How surprised he was, when a young woman grabbed his hand and pulled him up for a dance. He could hardly understand how she managed to pull him up on his feet or lead his staggering steps into a semblance of a dance, but there was sparks in the air and electricity flowing through his fingertips at her touch. He never thought that a woman could be so beautiful with such piercing brown eyes that sought his own, or that he could be so entranced by someone’s smile.  
When the bonfire burned down (entirely too soon, Gunter thought) the festivities winded down and people slowly made their way home. The villagers were kind enough to help the platoon set up camp before heading back home, and Gunter could only hopelessly watch as the woman headed back to her home.  
“Oh, Captain! You interested in her?”  
“Huh?”  
“Her name is Lorah. I don’t know her as well since she grew up in the other village, but if you want me to be a matchmaker I can help.”  
“Shut it, Nicolas.”  
He laughed, but soon all the soldiers settled into a blissful slumber at the camp.

When he awoke, he found the rest of the soldiers helping the townsfolk with the festival clean up, and he felt touched by how responsible everyone was for once. As he scanned the area, his eyes met with a certain woman’s again, and she waved at him. He blushed, and quickly tried to busy himself by checking up on the others.  
Soon everything was cleaned up, and the soldiers bantered and talked about last night.  
“Remember when Captain was singing? I didn’t know he could sing so well, even when dead drunk!”  
“If you boys don’t pipe down, I’ll ask King Garon to dock your pay.”  
“C-captain!”  
The soldiers continued to whine and moan, before Gunter suddenly noticed a tap on his arm. He turned to see the woman again, with a wreath of those purple flowers in her hands.  
“Wh-what is it?”  
“Can you kneel down, sir knight?”  
Gunter looked around confused, and saw Nicolas pointing at his head and gesturing for him to kneel. Gunter kneeled down, and felt a light weight on his head. When he looked up the woman smiled, blushing slightly, before bowing and running to return to the other villagers who were making their way home.  
The other knights cooed and whistled as Gunter stood up, and he gently pulled down what was placed on his head.  
“Flowers?”  
“Yeah, Captain! Flowers! Lucky you!” the other knights jeered, and Gunter couldn’t help but feel completely and utterly irritated.  
“Captain,” Nicolas said, moving forward, “those flowers are an invitation to be her partner next year.”  
“Excuse me?”  
“Yeah, we all got one from the ladies!” the other soldiers hollered, pulling out small flower bracelets and necklaces that they had placed in their belongings.  
“They’re typically given at the conclusion of the festival, though it seems you got yours later than everyone else.”  
“I see…”  
“And also,” Nicolas leaned in closer, “between you and me, a flower crown is the biggest invitation one can receive from another, so you better not disappoint her and come next year too.”

The rest of the year passed quickly and before long it was spring again.  
Gunter always stashed a small notebook in his breast pocket, where he would jot down notes about things that pleased him or dates he found important--a sort of diary, though one not well maintained. He was reminded of a very certain date when he flipped his notebook open and a pressed purple flower fell out. He had put that there, as reminder of the time he had in the Duet Mountains spring festival, and flipped through the pages to find where it was originally kept. He found the page, bearing a little note with an arrow pointing to a blank space slightly stained purple from the petals, and placed the pressed flower back in its assigned area. He glanced at the small notes scrawled all along the edges of the adjacent page, about how the local beer there tasted and the type of music that was played and how Russo made a total fool of himself at the festival. But one note stood out in particular, the note pointing to the flower. All it said was “Lorah.” It didn’t take him very long to realize what that note had meant, and he rushed to Nicolas as quickly as he could.  
“NICOLAS!”  
“Woah! Captain Gunter? What seems to be the hurry?”  
“That festival, in your hometown! When is it?!”  
Nicolas stared blankly at him for a brief moment before he broke into an irrepressible grin. “It’s Lorah, isn’t it?”  
“You were the one who started it!”  
“It’s usually during the equinox, so according to the calendar, probably a little less than a week.”  
“Come on, Nicolas! Tell everyone to pack, we’re going to go on a patrol in the mountains.”  
“Won’t King Garon be cross with you?”  
Gunter shrugged and laughed. “We’re on standby right now so what better things do we have to do? I’ll ask for his forgiveness later.”  
Nicolas grinned. “Understood, Captain!”

The platoon had made their way to the Duet Mountains with extreme haste, many of the newer soldiers rather terrified at the urgency that Gunter had made them travel. Several of the soldiers who had been to the festival the year before were laughing with wild abandon as they rode through the plains toward the mountains, which only terrified the new recruits more. After about 3 days of traveling, the group made their way to that flower carpeted valley once more, with the booming of drums and music beckoning them down the valley.  
“What is this?” one soldier marveled.  
“Oh, this is the Duet Mountains. My hometown is here. And you see,” Nicolas gestured with a grin, “Captain Gunter’s sweetheart lives here too.”  
“Shut it, Nicolas!” Gunter snapped.  
Nicolas could only throw his head back and laugh. “Does that answer your question, Godhardt?”  
“A bit… But Nicolas, what is all this?”  
“A festival we hold every year for the arrival of spring. You haven’t been here before, but I’ll show you the ropes. Russo and the rest of the gang have too, so don’t hesitate to ask them how to celebrate it too!”  
“Yeah!” Russo quipped. “I hope Eva’ll be here too, she was cute. Maybe she’ll give me another flower necklace this year too.”  
“Awh shut it, Russ! You know she gave me one too! You aren’t hot shit.”  
“Well Gernot, I got 3 necklaces and bracelets so guess who is more popular.”  
“Wipe that shit-eating grin off your face, Russ! You’re gonna scare off all the ladies!”  
They were getting closer and closer to the festival, and many of the ladies giggled at the return of their knights in shining armor that they had given flowered invitations last year. But none of those ladies mattered at this moment, at least to Gunter. He scanned the crowd for that certain face, but was unable to find her before he heard the sounds of everyone else dismounting.  
“Oy! It is I, Nicolas, come back to play again! I’m home!”  
Everyone gathered around them, and Gunter begrudgingly dismounted from his higher vantage point. He would find her later, he hoped.  
It was the second day of the festival, which came with its own learning curve of the traditions involved. All the soldiers had fun playing in the festival, though Gunter continued to be rather despondent. 

The evening came and went, and the soldiers set up camp to sleep. “She isn’t here,” he muttered, as he sat tending the campfire they had set up.  
_“A flower crown is the biggest invitation one can receive from another, so you better not disappoint her and come next year too.”_  
Those are the words Nicolas had told him last year, but he couldn’t help but feel maybe Nicolas was pulling his leg and tricking him. Why would she give him that flower crown if she wasn’t going to be at the festival?  
He soon was overcome with the urge to urinate, and he begrudgingly got up to move to a more appropriate area in which to relieve himself. He was surprised to see her, the girl that he was told was named Lorah, holding folded stacks of blankets heading in his direction. He soon completely lost interest in relieving himself and instead ran over to her as she stumbled trying to keep the blankets from falling out of her arms.  
“Are you alright?”  
“Yes I am, sir knight.”  
“I’ll help you.”  
“Thank you.”  
He grabbed a heaping pile of blankets from her, leaving her to hold only one. She giggled a bit, before smiling. “I’m glad you’re here again, sir knight. I didn’t think you would come.”  
“How could I not? Nicolas told me that a flower crown is a very important invitation.”  
“O-oh. I hope you didn’t misunderstand.”  
“Misunderstand?”  
“You didn’t seem to be having fun. L-last year I mean. You seemed so lonely. I wanted to make sure you had fun like everyone else. I made you that flower crown, because no one else gave you any invitation to come back.”  
“So it was out of pity?”  
“Oh, no! That’s not… I didn’t… mean that at all...” she looked down her face turning red and her eyes welling with tears.  
“I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant either. I don’t think you had any bad intentions, but regardless I’m a man of my word and if a lady wants me to return I’ll come running.”  
“I’m glad… I was busy today, helping my sick father. My friends told me a group of knights came to the festival so I was hoping it was you. It’s been very cold recently and I didn’t want all of you catching a cold, so,” she lifted up the single blanket in her arms. “I decided to bring these out for all of you.”  
“You’re very kind, and considerate.”  
“Thank you sir knight.”  
“Gunter.”  
She turned her head and looked at him, shocked.  
“My name… is Gunter. I’d appreciate it if I could stop being ‘sir knight’ to you.”  
“I see… and my name is Lorah. I’m sorry we never properly introduced ourselves.”  
Lorah. Though he had already known her name, it felt sweeter hearing it from her own mouth.  
“Well, Lorah, thank you for the blankets. Will you be attending the festival tomorrow?”  
“I’ll try. I can only pray that my father will be in better health.”  
“I’ll pray for him too.”  
“Thank you sir kni-- I mean, sir Gunter. Good night.”  
“Good night.”

The next morning came, and all the soldiers began fixing themselves breakfast using the rations they had packed. To the side, Nicolas was hosting a small workshop on how to create flower bracelets and necklaces to give out at the festival’s conclusion, and many of the soldiers were very absorbed in his lecture. Though Gunter pretended not to be interested, he would listen intently and watch how it was done when no one was looking.  
The festival came back in full swing at noon, everyone making merry with the townsfolk. Gunter socialized a little too, but the entire time he was looking for Lorah’s return. “I hope her father gets better,” he hoped, though he knew it was selfish why he was wishing for this man’s health.  
When the evening set in and the bonfire was lit, everyone sang and clapped and danced, the flames seemingly flickering and dancing to the beat as well. The entire day there was no sign of Lorah, and he felt equal parts depressed and frustrated. He tried to lose himself in the local beer again, but he could see the other soldiers dancing with the other townswomen and felt irritated.  
Maybe he shouldn’t have come here.  
His senses dulled from the booze and the heady beat of the music drumming in his ears made his head pound; he wasn’t enjoying a second of this festival at all.  
So of course it came as a surprise when a young woman took his hand and pulled him up for a dance, leading his staggering steps once more into a semblance of a dance, her piercing brown eyes seeking his own and her smile brighter than anything he had seen before.  
“I didn’t think you’d come.”  
“You looked like you weren’t having any fun, sir knight.”  
Gunter smiled, pulling her closer. “Didn’t I tell you to stop calling me that?”  
“Gunter.”  
“Yes.”  
“Gunter!”  
It had taken only a second for him to lose his footing, falling down to the floor backwards with her in his arms.  
She laughed, and brushed aside the hair that had fallen over his eyes. “Are you always this clumsy?”  
“Only when I’m with you.”  
She got up, and dusted herself off. The music was starting to fade as the bonfire slowly died out. Most of the townsfolk were beginning to exchange flowered necklaces and bracelets, something that Gunter had missed out last year. He sat up, and dusted himself off as well.  
“Wait here, ok?” she ran off, and Gunter felt a pang of loneliness in his heart as she left.  
He got up and reached into his satchel he had placed off at the side, and pulled out a length of flowers he had tied together in a necklace. His fingers were large and clumsy when he had tied them together in a daisy chain, and several of the knots were coming loose. As he held them up the necklace fell apart slowly in his hands, and he sighed, defeated.  
When Lorah returned, holding a wreath of flowers again, Gunter knew the drill. He bowed his head as she placed the crown of flowers on his hair, and she smiled. “You’ll come again next year, won’t you?”  
“Of course. And for you,” he said, pulling out one of the flowers he had managed to salvage from his necklace, “is this.”  
He had tied the stem together into a loop and slid it on her finger. A flower ring.  
“And what’s this?” she giggled.  
“The best I can do,” he laughed.  
And thus the festival drew to a close.

The next few years Gunter had always informed King Garon of a “sudden need” to patrol the mountains in the springtime, many soldiers always chiming in agreement. And every year at the festival he would meet with Lorah. He had practiced weaving flower crowns on his spare time, and was able to present her with one every year from his third festival onwards. Their exchange of flower crowns every year lead to endless teasing by the rest of his platoon, but eventually a few soldiers themselves settled down with some of the women living in the Duet Mountains after continually exchanging letters after the festival.  
And Gunter would be joining them soon, or at least he hoped as he packed a golden ring in his belongings on his way to the 7th festival he would attend there.  
The festival was truly the same as always, as people danced and sang and played games. For him, his time was always occupied with Lorah when he was there.  
And when the dance was over and the bonfire had died down on the final day of the festival, the flower exchange begun. She placed a flower crown on his head, the 7th time that she had done so. She wasn’t as young anymore, her youthfulness replaced by a warmth and maturity that he found irresistible.  
She bowed down her head fully expecting him to place a flower crown there as they had done for many years, but he lifted her chin and shook his head.  
She looked at him, and bit her lip. Tears were forming in her eyes now, he could tell even in the dying light of the bonfire. “You won’t come next year?”  
“I won’t.”  
“I see…”  
She moved his hand away from her face and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.  
He grabbed her hand, and slid a flower ring on her finger. “It’s the best I can do.”  
“I understand.” She turned and ran back towards her home before he could say another word, and Gunter could only watch hopelessly at her retreating figure.  
Gunter felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Russo. “Jeez, Captain. What did you do?”  
“Well, I was going to propose to her.”  
“Seems like an abject failure to me.”  
“Yeah. You’re right about that. We’ll be leaving first thing tomorrow.”  
“It’s ok. I won’t tell anyone you’ve been crying your eyes out all night after being rejected from your 7 year courtship.”  
“Shut it, Russ.”

When the sun rose bright and early, Gunter had instructed everyone to pack and leave as soon as they could. Many soldiers protested this, as not all of them were able to say their proper goodbyes to the people of the Duet Mountains, but Gunter was very insistent. “It is by King Garon’s grace that we are able to come here every year so far, it would be a breach of his trust if we were to always dally here longer than need be.”  
A few soldiers began to laugh and point, making Gunter extremely irritated. “What? Something on my face?”  
“Oh no no, Captain. It’s just… I think it’s your sweetheart over there. What the heck is she doing?”  
Gunter turned around to see a lone figure waving quite frantically in the distance as it ran, and he found it difficult to make out who it was in the glare of the morning sun. But the other soldiers said it was his sweetheart… Lorah?  
“Lorah!” He quickly jumped onto his horse and rode out from the valley towards her, and many of the other soldiers also hopped on their steeds and rode out as well.  
Gunter dismounted quickly jumping off his horse and ran out to her when he got closer and he could see her face reddened from running. She threw her arms around his neck, exclaiming “Gunter! Oh, Gunter!”  
“What’s the matter, Lorah?”  
“I… You....”  
The other soldiers dismounted and began to laugh and clap. They all knew about Gunter’s failed proposal from Russo, but all of them cared deeply for their captain. They couldn’t just leave it at that, and their meddling included letting all the townsfolk know about the proposal before all of them had returned home for the night. And from both sides of the valley from both villages spilled out crowds of people, all clapping for the embracing couple.  
“What’s happening? Lorah? Why are you laughing, Nicolas?! RUSSO!”  
Nicolas and Russo were laughing their heads off, unable to answer to him and hardly being able to breathe.  
Lorah pulled back and blushed, looking down bashfully. “I’m sorry I left so quickly before you could propose properly.”  
“I-it’s quite alright.”  
She took his hand and slipped a flower ring on his finger. He could see on her left hand was the golden ring that he had slipped on her last night, entwined in the stem of the flower ring he had made for her in the flower exchange. “I didn’t realize until I took off the flower ring you gave me last night that you had given me a real ring.”  
“No, it was my fault. I said things that made you misunderstand. But I truly don’t want to come to the festival next year. Instead of coming, I wish to live here, with you. And we can attend the festival together, as husband and wife.”  
“It would be my pleasure, sir knight.”  
The clapping and cheering increased in intensity, as the couple kissed surrounded by the sweet scent of the flowers in the valley.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [A New Home For Flowers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14900885) by [Lululeigh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lululeigh/pseuds/Lululeigh)




End file.
